Toymaker Mattel reported Q3 net earnings 40% higher than those in the same period last year. Of primary interest to pop culture retailers were events in its Entertainment category, where sales were up 21% worldwide.

Viz Communications has announced that the first issue of its Shonen Jump manga anthology, due out in November, will include an 'ultra-rare' Yu Gi Oh card.

American sales of the Yu Gi Oh CCG hit $17 million in the second quarter of this year, and it is now Upper Deck's largest product line, ahead of its baseball cards.

Fred Swayne of Infinity Entertainment in Ottawa, Canada saw that Yu-Gi-Oh! is being held out of the top best-seller spots by lack of inventory and added an update on the situation in his store.

WizKids' MechWarrior: Dark Ages debuted strong in August, with the boosters topping our Top 10 Cool Game list for the month. In other categories, higher numbers in product series that have topped our lists in the past were common,...

Samurai Comics of Phoenix, Arizona incorporated multiple product categories into its display, and used a Shonen Jump poster as the large graphic element. It also tied in its display to in-store events and to a promotion with a local library.

In a press release from Gen Con LLC, which is run by ex-WotC honcho Peter Adkison, the company announced new Gen Con conventions for 2003. In addition to the 'original' Gen Con, there will also be a Gen Con Europe (which replaces Gen Con UK), as well as a Gen Con So Cal.

Retailer Mike Banks of Samurai Comics in Phoenix, Arizona has a great suggestion on outreach to libraries during the upcoming Teen Read week.

The Yu-Gi-Oh anime series has scored a breakout hit on the first Saturday of the new season. The Kids WB Network released ratings this week that showed that the Yu-Gi-Oh series reached its highest ratings ever on September 7,...

Image Comics, including Top Cow and Todd McFarlane Productions, has signed with Diamond Book Distributors for distribution to the book, warehouse club, and mass merchant channels.